Virtue Signaling

[_Some Schmo]

I've listened to a couple of recent interviews with Bolton, and one of his favorite expressions seems to be "virtue signaling." I don't spend a lot of time taking this kind of ignorant right wing parlance seriously, but he says it so much, I started thinking about what he's trying to say here.

Essentially, it sounds like a way to quash uncomfortable criticism. For instance, if I say you should respect women after you've said something obviously sexist, you could take that opportunity to accuse me of virtue signaling: you're just trying to show everyone you respect women. Oh, the horror! So then what is the alternative? I should let your sexist comment go? Fu-ck you.

If, by virtue signaling, you mean something along the lines of Oh aren't you special then good, interpret it that way, you lowlife. If baseline decency makes me special, so be it. Maybe someday you could raise your own standards too. Fu-ck your whiny accusations. Get you own act together, you piece of sh-it, rather than trying to drag everyone down to your level.

That's how seriously we should take the accusation of virtue signaling.

[_Temp. Admin.]

(Dr. Shades here, using our "Temp. Admin." account.) Do you believe that the concept of "virtue signaling" isn't a thing? Because I personally think it is in at least some cases, when one over-exaggerates one's commitment to social justice when a member of a minority is present and listening.

[_Some Schmo]

(Dr. Shades here, using our "Temp. Admin." account.) Do you believe that the concept of "virtue signaling" isn't a thing? Because I personally think it is in at least some cases, when one over-exaggerates one's commitment to social justice when a member of a minority is present and listening.

Oh, I'm sure a few people do this, but I doubt it's anywhere near as common as the term is used. It's hard to over-exaggerate your commitment to social justice if you care about it at all. Unless you're claiming to organize rallies when you're not, or something along those lines, there's nothing wrong with lending your support to a cause in which you believe.